1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connecting-and-fixing methods for cables, and more particularly, to a connecting-and-fixing method for fixing a cable to a substrate in a state in which a linear conductor provided in the cable is electrically connected to a terminal on the substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Coaxial cables are a typical example of high-frequency transmission lines for connecting high-frequency circuits and high-frequency elements. Coaxial cables include a central conductor (signal line conductor) and a shield conductor provided around the central conductor. Since coaxial cables are resistant to bending and deformation and are inexpensive, coaxial cables are widely used in various types of high-frequency electronic devices.
In recent years, functionality of high-frequency electronic devices, such as mobile communication terminals, has been increased and the size of high-frequency electronic devices has been reduced. As a result, it has become difficult to provide a sufficient space for coaxial cables in a terminal housing. Accordingly, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-71403, tri-plate flat cables, which are formed by stacking thin base sheets together, may be used. Flat cables have a thin plate-shaped structure in which a signal line conductor is sandwiched between two ground conductors. Although flat cables are somewhat wider than coaxial cables, the thickness thereof can be made smaller than that of coaxial cables. Therefore, flat cables are useful in a case where only thin gaps are provided in a terminal housing.
In the case where a flat cable is used to connect, for example, an antenna device to a feeding circuit, connectors are used to establish the connection. More specifically, a male connector provided at an end of the cable is fitted to a female connector connected to an end of the antenna device, while a male connector provided at the other end of the cable is fitted to a female connector connected to the feeding circuit. Thus, the antenna element and the feeding circuit can be connected to each other with the flat cable.
However, the male and female connectors are formed by, for example, bending a thin metal plate and molding the thin metal plate with resin, and require a complex manufacturing process. Therefore, high-accuracy small male and female connectors are difficult to produce and are expensive. Also, a mounting process for mounting the connectors to the flat cable needs to be performed, and it becomes more difficult to reduce variations in positional accuracy as the size of the connectors decreases.